Why I'm a charismatic and why I'm not!

Before I dive in to this blog I need to say that this blog, along with other baptist folk, is now to be published on the new Baptist Times website. So I suppose I'd better behave myself from now on!? I had mixed emotions about the invitation. this blog has been and remains quite a personal publication. I wondered whether I make this one more middle of the road and then start a different more personal one. Och well!

The title of this week's blog is intentional. For a week now this strap line has been banging around inside my head. Actually, I don't like titles that we use (and abuse) in Christian circles; they seem to box people up or state - "they're one of those then!" Actually whereas once - in my youthful student days, I would have arrogantly used this description, I now prefer to use "Spirit filled Christian." And thats as much because I think it's a more accurate description biblilically, but also because I truly want to distance myself from what I see as the very worst of charismatic Christianity.

Please don't get me wrong. Over the years - and beginning as a teenager, I've been to the conferences and done the rounds. Starting first with John Wimber's visits to the UK, Bill Subritsky's tours, and of course what was initially called "The Toronto Blessing" and which became "The Times of Refreshing." And yes, in contrast to some, I felt benefit from the Toronto wave, going to refreshment meetings at Queen's Road Baptist in Wimbledon. I've been baptised in the Spirit, and firmly believe that the gifts of the Spirit are for today, and benefitted hugely from the Power Evangelism/Healing and Bishop David Pytches phases of teaching that came to the UK church. So that's my pedigree, and it remains my practice today. BUT ...there is something within me that wants to fully distance myself from what I call charismatic abuse or as others have called charismania! You see there are some who call themselves charismatic Christians who practice and declare stuff that I just don't want to be seen dead with!

Here is some of that "stuff":
1) The seeing demons everywhere approach. Got a head ache? Then it must be a demon! Cast it out! Got an attitude problem? Then it must be a demon! Cast it out! And so it goes on. And I know the journey that this mish-mash theology has come on because I know the practitioners and writers of it, but I don't see it in the bible! I remember one of those books "Pigs in the Parlour" that suggested exactly what I've outlined above. And this is dangerous stuff, and it can really screw up Christians and make the situation worse. I think of the Derek Prince books and the Ellel Grange camp as routed in Peter Horrobin's ministries. In the worst cases, some have needed therapy to escape from those who have tried to carry out exorcism because it has just been plainly wrong!
2) The declaring that "God has told me this" brigade, which don't get me wrong, I'm not against people expecting God to speak to them, which he does of course, and we should expect him to do so, but when we get this out of control where before long people are making crazy unaccountable statements of such an individualistic nature that life becomes dangerous and careful counsell and discipleship needs to be rapidly engaged.
3) The turning of the Gospel from being one of grace to one of effort where sometimes this becomes a first and second class Christians issue. This is the Gnostic trap whereby people think that they have reached a higher plane of somehow more advanced or more spirituality because they are closer to him, or more spiritual than others because of more experiences of the Holy Spirit. So it is sometimes said - God has raised the bar of effort required or you have to push more into God to experience this revelation of God. I heard this once where some Christians were trying to divide up types of Christian along the lines of "those of the flesh" and "those of the Spirit." In the end, this all seemingly turns in a new Gospel that humans have created, rather than the Gospel of grace.
4) The placing of God on an equal level to Satan and demons - this is the ancient false teaching of dualism re-invented, and this is worked out whereby some Christians feel a need to go round in fear of the devil and his minions. This is where we start to see the "pigs in the parlour" mentality return and spirits or demons, sometimes terrortorial, hanging around at every corner ready to jump out, or hovering over towns making it dark and difficult. What this does is reduce God down onto an equal level with the devil. We devalue God's sovereignty and power, and end up living in fear of the devil, rather than living life to the full in freedom, in the way that Christ intended. This denies the power of the cross, and suggests that God is not sovereignly in control. It is correctly rooted in an Ephesians 6 setting, but bears more to the story narrative of Frank Perretti's "This present darkness" than a healthy and balanced biblical view of evil. In the end, as Nigel Wright wrote in "The Satan Syndrome" we need to "disbelieve the devil" and treat him for what he is, which is defeated!

So, the life of the Spirit can be enjoyed to the full without the weight of the extras (isn't this what the Pharisees did?) that some Christians seem to want to apply and burden us with. In the end, we don't need to conjure up God with "statements into the heavenlies", or "exorcise ley lines" in fact all this extra stuff can actually detract us from doing the Gospel properly, from sharing it and getting amongst the ordinary people of our community in a credible and effective way, because we're too busy doing wierd things, and behaving like witch doctors on the side of a hill somewhere.
In the end, I want to get excited about God, be moving in the experience, truth, gifts, fruit and power of the Spirit, and to do so knowing that I don't need to conjure up God by an emotional expereince or by whipping myself into a frenzy, because in his grace God in Jesus Christ has promised to always be there! I will clap God when I feel the freedom to do so, and I certainly don't need to be told to.
So in the end, I'm that type of charismatic. In fact, lose that word. I'm a Spirit filled Christian!